BEIJING, May 27 (Xinhua) - China's Ministry of Emergency Management held a press conference on the 27th. Zhu Fangfang, Deputy Director of the Science and International Cooperation Department of the China Earthquake Administration, introduced that China will, based on the "Belt and Road Earthquake Scientific Survey Alliance," jointly explore the establishment of a coordinated, linked, and efficient Tian Shan earthquake scientific survey mechanism with Central Asian countries.
It is reported that Central Asia is one of the most seismically active regions globally. The junction of Xinjiang, China, with Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan is a key area of plate interaction, with the Tian Shan seismic zone running through it. This area is a major seismic hazard zone and a crucial region for international research on continental geodynamics and inland earthquake disasters.
Zhu Fangfang stated that the China Earthquake Administration has always attached importance to cooperation with Central Asian countries. Since the 1990s, mainly through the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Earthquake Administration, China has continuously strengthened earthquake science and technology cooperation with Central Asian countries, promoting and sharing China's earthquake prevention and mitigation experiences and wisdom to enhance regional earthquake disaster risk prevention capabilities.
Zhu Fangfang outlined the main cooperative experiences. Since 2019, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan have successively joined the "Belt and Road" earthquake disaster reduction cooperation mechanism initiated by the China Earthquake Administration.
With the support of various national and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region scientific plans and construction projects, the China Earthquake Administration has actively promoted the implementation of cooperation with Central Asian countries. Over 100 research cooperation projects have been implemented. In recent years, the China Earthquake Administration and Central Asian countries have carried out joint projects such as GPS observations in the Central Asian Tian Shan region, construction of earthquake geomagnetic monitoring networks, earthquake disaster monitoring, early warning and risk prevention demonstration applications, integrated seismic motion models, and zoning demonstration research, as well as identification and hazard analysis of large earthquake sources in the Xinjiang-Central Asia inland subduction zone. These projects have provided valuable basic information and technological support for earthquake prevention and mitigation work in Xinjiang, China, and Central Asian countries, which are crucial for ensuring the security of China's western strategic passage and the sustainable development of the regional economy.
Regarding further cooperation, Zhu Fangfang expressed that the China Earthquake Administration will, based on the "Belt and Road Earthquake Scientific Survey Alliance," jointly explore the establishment of a coordinated, linked, and efficient Tian Shan earthquake scientific survey mechanism with Central Asian countries. This aims to promote the sharing and integration of earthquake information, disaster reduction decision-making, and technological resources, enhance regional cross-border disaster prevention and control capabilities, and improve disaster response capabilities. They look forward to further deepening earthquake science and technology cooperation with Central Asian countries to contribute to regional earthquake disaster reduction efforts. (End)
